Biography
R. Brian Ferguson is a Professor of Anthropology at Rutgers University-Newark, specializing in the anthropology of war, ethnic conflict, and state-tribe interaction. He earned his doctorate from Columbia University and has devoted his academic career to explaining why war happens, publishing numerous books on Yanomami warfare, tribal conflict, and the role of violence in human evolution. He has served on the board of governors of the New York Academy of Sciences.
Sample Works
- Yanomami Warfare: A Political History (1995) Book
- Chimpanzees, War, and History: Are Men Born to Kill? (2023) Book
- Warfare, Culture, and Environment (1984) Book
- Materialist, Cultural and Biological Theories on Why Yanomami Make War (2001) Paper
Roundtable Appearances
October 27, 2012 · ▶ Video
Male-Male Competition: Globalization, War, and Violence
The roundtable examines Darwin's focus on male-male competition in The Descent of Man, where he devoted twelve chapters to what he termed "the law of battle." The discussion...
R. Brian Ferguson, John Horgan, E. James Lieberman, Maxine Sheets-Johnstone